WASHINGTON— A federal district court today maintained conservation
protections for marbled murrelets, unique coastal birds in the Pacific
Northwest. The court rejected the remaining claims in a timber industry
lawsuit that sought to expand logging of the seabird’s old-growth forest
nesting habitat. The lawsuit was the timber industry’s fourth attempt in the
past decade to eliminate protections for the old-growth forests that marbled
murrelets call home, despite undisputed scientific evidence that murrelets
are continuing to disappear from the coasts of Washington, Oregon and
California.

“It is time for logging interests to move on,” said Kristen Boyles, staff
attorney with Earthjustice. “Science, law, and public opinion do not support
their demand to log the old-growth forests that marbled murrelets call
home.”

The marbled murrelet is a shy, robin-sized seabird that feeds at sea but
nests only in old-growth forests along the Pacific Coast. Murrelets don’t
build nests, instead laying their single egg on natural, moss-covered
platforms where large branches join the tree trunks of old growth Douglas
fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock and redwood trees. In 1992, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service protected marbled murrelets in Washington, Oregon, and
California as a threatened species due to logging of coastal old-growth
forests. The timber industry has repeatedly set its sights on the small
seabird in order to increase logging of some of the last-remaining mature
and old-growth forests.

“Today’s decision ends a dark chapter in the effort to ensure the
survival of the highly endangered marbled murrelet,” said Noah Greenwald,
endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Now we
can move forward with recovering these unique seabirds.”

The district court rejected logging industry claims that murrelets in
central California could not be considered part of the protected population.
The court also refused to eliminate murrelet critical habitat protections
during a three-year period when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will
re-examine its 1996 critical habitat designation.

“The marbled murrelet is most endangered at the southern extent of its
range,” said Gary Graham Hughes, executive director of Environmental
Protection Information Center. “The court’s decision keeps the murrelet
protected down here in the redwood temperate rainforest.”

“It’s time to stop fighting over who will get to log the last of our old
growth, and focus on science-based management of our forests that improves
habitat for wildlife, protects clean water, and safeguards the scenic
beauty, outdoor recreation, and quality of life that drives Oregon’s modern
economy,” said Steve Pedery, conservation director for Oregon Wild.

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